Specifics:
No cold meat
No meat and two veg or salad meals
Less fruit
No fish, tofu, mushrooms or eggs

Hmm - this is no small task but here goes... Our first task will be to ensure that there is enough protein in your diet and that the nutrients that these foods would provide are not missed out.

Breakfast

Porridge or try Rude Health Early Bird Muesli with natural yoghurt and add some honey or maple syrup for sweetness and some mixed summer berries (these can be bought frozen and are cheaper then fresh, you can also blend the berries and the yoghurt with the honey or maple syrup for a home made flavoured yoghurt or smoothie, add milk or water to reduce the thickness, you can even add ice cubes if you prefer and or sprinkle muesli over the top). Try to avoid bananas as these are very natural sugar dense and can cause your insulin to spike early in the AM leaving you hungry. I find the best yoghurt is Yeo Valley natural organic (green one). Add a lotuslite and you are n to a winner!

Blueberry Bircher Muesli

First developed by a Swiss doctor back in the 1890’s, this easy, super healthy breakfast can be mixed together the night before, then left in the fridge to soak in a plastic container or smaller individual ones if that suits you better. Stir in grated apple and top generously with blueberries, honey and nuts and you’re good to go.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

500g (1lb 2oz) tub Natural or Greek yoghurt (the fat free Total version is brilliant for this and the only fat free food i will advocate)
200g (7oz) rolled oats
40g (11/2oz) wheat germ or bran
40g (11/2oz) desiccated coconut
50g (2oz) hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
200ml (7fl oz) pressed (cloudy) apple juice
To serve per portion:
½ Granny Smith apple, cored but not peeled, coarsely grated
50g (2oz) blueberries
1 tsp runny honey
Little ground cinnamon - good fat burner, raises metabolism!
Few extra chopped hazelnuts, optional

Method:

1) Mix the yoghurt, oats and wheat germ in a bowl then stir in the coconut, toasted hazelnuts and apple juice. Transfer to a plastic container, clip on the lid and chill overnight in the fridge.
2) When ready to serve, stir in grated apple and a few blueberries then spoon into dishes, top with extra blueberries, a drizzle of honey, a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and a few extra nuts, if liked. The remaining soaked muesli will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, just add a little apple juice if needed, as the oats will continue to swell.

Even when you are at work there is no excuse for skipping breakfast with a breakfast to go container - you can make it the night before and take it to work or on the school run with you!

So that is breakfast sorted. Now for lunch...

How about a quark and salad wrap.... What the chuff is quark? I hear you say,

Quark is a type of fresh cheese. It is made by warming soured milk until the desired degree of denaturation of milk proteins is met, and then strained. Dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese or cottage cheese, although most commercial varieties of cottage cheese are made with rennet, which is not vegetarian whereas traditional quark is not. It is soft, white and unaged, similar to some types of fromage frais. It is distinct from ricotta because ricotta (Italian: "recooked") is made from scalded whey. It is quite similar to the Indian paneer. Quark usually has no salt added and is cheap as you like. However it is fairly tasteless so it is best combined with something else.

Falafel is also a brilliant alternative to increase your protein intake and it is vegetarian too! Cheap and dead easy to make - stuff them into pittas with salad, or serve with couscous and houmous.

Ingredients
2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
1 small onion , finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g can chickpeas , washed and drained
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander (or use more cumin)
handful parsley , chopped, or 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 egg , beaten

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan, then fry the onion and garlic over a low heat for 5 mins until softened. Tip into a large mixing bowl with the chickpeas and spices, then mash together with a fork or potato masher until the chickpeas are totally broken down. Stir in the parsley or dried herbs, with seasoning to taste. Add the egg, then squish the mixture together with your hands.
Mould the mix into 6 balls, then flatten into patties. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, then fry the falafels on a medium heat for 3 mins on each side, until golden brown and firm. Serve hot or cold with couscous, pitta bread or salad.

Per Falafel

105 calories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 8g, fat 6 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, sugar 1g, salt 0.27 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2006.

Do chickpeas have any health benefits?

Chickpeas are indeed very good for you, not least because two to three tablespoons equate to one portion of the daily recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables.

Chickpeas also contain phytoestrogens which are weak plant versions of real oestrogen. There's evidence that these may modulate the body's own production of the hormone in a way that could lower the risk of breast cancer, protect against osteoporosis and minimise hot flushes in post-menopausal women.

Other ways you could consider using chickpeas are in salads, (they are particularly good with tuna and sweetcorn), toasted as a snack (stir fry them in some olive oil until golden) or as the basis of a spicy Indian dahl.

Tinned chickpeas are fine, but fresh boiled ones are slightly higher in vitamins and minerals. Both are equally good sources of fibre, including soluble fibre which can help to lower cholesterol.

Whichever sort you eat, don't go too mad as they can cause wind!

Dinner - Squash and coconut curry

Take five ingredients and whip up this quick, healthy, vegetarian curry

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash (600g/1lb oz peeled weight), chopped into medium size chunks

small bunch coriander , roughly chopped

2 tbsp Madras curry paste

1 red pepper , halved, deseeded and roughly chopped into chunks

400g can reduced-fat coconut milk

1. Heat a large frying pan or wok, tip in the curry paste and fry for 1 min. Add the squash and red pepper, then toss well in the paste.
2. Pour in the coconut milk with 200ml water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 mins or until the butternut squash is very tender and the sauce has thickened. Season to taste, then serve scattered with chopped coriander and naan bread or rice.
3. Serve with brown rice and salad
You can vary the vegetables that you add or try aloo gobi. Lots of indian and eastern foods use vegetables to better effect than we do as meat would often go off quickly in these climates. The added spice also increases your metabolism if the recipes include chilli, often Thai recipes lack cream and as a consequence are extremely healthy. But watch for the fried recipes :0(
458 kcalories, protein 7.0g, carbohydrate 35.0g, fat 33.0 g, saturated fat 28.0g, fibre 6.0g, sugar 23.0g, salt 0.64 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2006.